Hypnotherapy, BlogHypfocus Therapies

What Causes Insomnia?

Did you know that the average American sleeps 2 hours less on average today than they did in 1960? This statistic is probably true for the rest of the western world too. We are staying away from our beds for longer than we used to and when we arrive in our beds we are often too stressed and stimulated to fall asleep.

Why does this matter?

Lack of sleep impairs our judgement, our ability to regulate our impulse control and creates attention deficit problems. Sleep deprivation interferes with how our body and brain use energy and is thought to be a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. Yes lack of sleep can make you fat!

Children’s sleep habits often replicate the habits of their parents in spite of the fact that children need a lot more sleep to grow and develop. It is thought that lack of sleep may be a factor in the increase in diagnosis for ADHD.

This lack of sleep has been exacerbated in the past decade by access to smart phones and other hand held devices the use of which are now seeing children (and adults!) stay awake later than their parents ever did for fear of missing out on something critical wheter it be on social media or the wider news cycle resulting in the rise in popularity of anagram FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Scrolling mindlessly through newsfeeds and participating in inane conversations into the early hours is dumbing us down as a species.

Tired people with high stress levels are operating at a huge disadvantage to people who are relaxed and well rested. This disadvantage is reflected in their work performance, academic results, the health of their relationships, their appearance and their physical health.

What most of us now consider adequate sleep is really more like just enough to enable us to scrape through the day at about 40% of our potential while amped up on coffee and any other stimulants we can lay our hands on.

When we go to bed it’s during the first third of our allocated sleeping time that we sleep most deeply, we move into deep sleep quickly when we are tired from the day (this is a good argument for avoiding long naps) and we are least likely to be woken up by a slight disturbance during this phase. This part of the sleep cycle also known as slow wave sleep (SWS) is the most restorative part of our sleep. Our sympathetic nervous system activity is lessened (fight flight response readiness) and cortisol levels (stress hormone) are low. Instead of 'fight and flight' go instead into ‘rest and digest’ mode during which we consolidate memories, and our brain is prepared for learning and alertness the next day. SWS keeps us in optimal health and improves our overall functioning.

Tips To Help Getting To Sleep

If you wake up regularly feeling tired – avoid taking long naps, particularly late in the day. The length of slow wave sleep is proportionate to how long you’ve been awake, so if you take a long late afternoon nap your awake time will only be calculated from the time you woke up from your nap to the time you went to bed that night e.g. If you get up at 7am and go to bed at 11pm your SWS time will be proportionate to 16 waking ours, if you take a nap at 4pm to 4.30pm your SWS will only be proportionate to 6.5 hours of being awake. Nana naps have become fashionable however senior moments havne’t taken off with quite the same gusto, so perhaps consider how the two may be related before you give into the urge to go for that next nap ;0

Avoid the stimulants. Coffee, Nicotine, Coke, Redbull etc. the stimulant is not intuitive , it won't know at what time you want it to stop working, obligingly keep you awake during the day and then switch off it’s effects when your head hits the pillow.

Avoid screens for at least an hour before bed. What to do instead? Read a book, meditate, craft, colour, chat, pat the dog/cat, take a bath, do your nails, face mask, hair mask, write a journal, think of 3 things to be grateful for, think of 3 things you’ve done well lately, think of 3 things you’ve seen that were beautiful, think of 3 examples of people being nice , 3 places you'd like to visit etc.

Enjoy a camomile tea before bed

Practice 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing – inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 2 and exhale for a count of 8.

Give yourself 5 minutes to worry then close that s$$t off! Write down any thoughts or worries you think might require further consideration the next day then let them all go until morning.

Unresolved issues, emotions or vigilance that is being maintained in response to a long past threat still active in the subconscious can contribute to restless sleep with, sometimes the brain has learned the habit of wakefulness and needs to relearn the protocol for restful sleep. Hypnotherapy can help with this, retraining your brain through hypnosis, to slip into that beneficial slow wave sleep where restoration, replenishment, renewal and recharging occurs.If you’d like to find out how I can help you please feel free to call me on 0435 923 817. My Hypnotherapy Clinic is located in Mentone South East Melbourne and I also see people online via Skype or Zoom. Hypnotherapy for Insomnia is fast and effective.

The Menopause (and Peri-Menopause) Mantra And How Hypnotherapy Can Help

Menopausal women the world over may experience a range of symptoms but one of the most debilitating is insomnia.

Until you experience chronic insomnia it is hard to conceptualise the extent to which it impacts ever aspect of your life. Your ability to function, reason, retain information, focus, articulate, motivate yourself, tolerate and even gather enough energy to put one foot in front of the other is severely impaired.

The brain works 24/7 regulating and balancing. The additional resources that are directed into trying to get the bodies system back into sync leave you feeling drained. Anxiety and Depression can result from months and years of chronic lack of sleep.

Hypnotherapy helps to reduce the effects of menopause by reducing stress and anxiety and creating an opportunity for the brain to reset through deep focused absorption and internal stillness. Numerous studies have proven the effectiveness of Hypnotherapy for the reduction of menopause symptoms, my interpretation of the changes that take place is that this reset enables the brain to update some of the settings to allow for the new hormone levels rather than trying to run obsolete programs based on pre-menopause levels.

The American Menoapause Association has recommended Hypnotherapy as an effective treatment because it helps in such a holistic way.

Keep in mind that these days when women are going through menopause they are often contending with challenging jobs, dependent children (often hormonal teenagers just to add another layer of complexity), relationships and aging parents. It is the most demanding time in most women's lives. Hypnotherapy provides respite from the mental overload. A reboot that free's up all resources to be directed where they'll do the most good.

Author

Melbourne Hypnotherapist Georgina Mitchell was born in Ireland, moving to Australia in 1989. Georgina Specialises in helping people with Anxiety Disorders and is an active member of the Melbourne Hypnotherapy Community. In Melbourne Hypnosis is being accepted as effective tool for anyone wanting to achieve a positive change in Mood, Behaviour and Habit.

Hypnotherapy Melbourne Reviews for Hypfocus

"Georgina has helped me overcome depression and anxiety so that I was able to finish my course and get a job. I've started going to the gym again which I had previously given up because I felt too self-conscious and couldn't stand being hot. It's really changed my life for the better, I can manage my thoughts and don't have the overwhelming feelings that used to see me spiraling downwards anymore. I've tried other therapies and this was my last resort, I can't recommend her highly enough"

Disclaimer: As with all therapies Hypnotherapy results vary from person to person. This website is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. The reader should consult their GP for medical advice and for any symptoms that may require medical intervention. The content on this website is for the information of people considering Hypnotherapy at Hypfocus.

Hypfocus Practitioner Georgina Mitchell Is A Member of the HCA

Hypfocus is not a Crisis service. If you need urgent assistance please call Lifeline on 131114 or visit the lifeline chatline here

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